A bright and bold budget wedding at Barras Art and Design

From the atmospheric ceremony at St Aloysius to dancing the night away under the atrium at Barras Art and Design, Molly and Tom’s wedding was a day of contrasts, colour and quirk. Inspired by Pre-Raphaelite paintings, bright colours, botanical dreams and retro touches, their wedding was so wonderfully them. And they did it all on a tight budget too. Lots to love here!

Love at first sight or gradual attraction?

Love at first sight AND gradual attraction. We met on our Creative Writing Masters course at the University of Glasgow, endured long distance during our PhDs, and traversed ‘only child’ syndrome vs. one of seven children syndrome. We’ve always got along like a house on fire, and had the temperaments to match. Haven’t really been apart (in heart) since the day we met. And we plan on keeping it that way.

What inspired your wedding plans?

Pre-Raphaelite paintings, lush colors, botanical dreams, a retro touch. DIY elements included hodge-podge table arrangements using my collection of antique bottles, wild flower seed party favours, and an amazing hand-made donut topper made by my artsy mom.

We also made good use of a giant screen in our venue that played some silent and French nouveau films we dig. Did I mention our church wedding was decked out with incense, wild organ music, and a small choir opening the heavens via Gregorian chant?!

Think Grace Kelly baroque church wedding meets former carpet factory jazz party, with Angelenos and Glaswegians dancing the night away.

I had my eye on Lisa from Floral Menagerie’s work for quite sometime. My background is in floristry, so this was a job I couldn’t just leave to anyone. And Lisa, well, I could trust her to make anything gorgeous. She has a knack for picking curiously fantastic blooms. And her composition is organic, wild and just has something of a Flemish still life about them. She is a real artist and I couldn’t recommend her enough.

Our stationery was custom-made by my super creative twin sister, Vanessa. And our cake was from Krispy Kreme – I’ll take two please. And one to go.

We had a magician at our wedding. Billy Reid. There were a lot of children (adult children, too) who we wanted to entertain. Billy oohed and ahhed.

Tell us about your venues…

After working in the wedding industry for a number of years, I had a clear idea of what I was after. Problem was, this didn’t exist (yet!) in Glasgow! I wanted to bring my native California laid-back vibe to a wedding, but also wanted to embrace the gloomy gregariousness my husband and I love so much about our city, Glasgow. It does rain just about every day, and I wanted to somehow, someway, incorporate this into our day without getting soaked outside in 5-inch heels.

It was no easy feat finding the right venue after being spoiled with outdoor beach weddings most of my life. We also wanted a sense of history, character, and quirk — we’re both writers and wanted the venue to reflect a little something of us. We like high and low art, so the church wedding and having our reception in the historic Barras market area fit the bill. Once Barras Art and Design opened, it was a no brainer. History. Check. Indoor plants. Check. Atrium! Check. Check. We were one of the first weddings hosted there and we really felt like we snagged the best venue in town.

Food was our next biggie. We couldn’t stomach the normal wedding nosh — if I tasted another herb-roasted chicken with boiled potatoes! Thank the wedding gods that BaAd (great acronym, huh) had a bomb seafood restaurant called A’ Challtainn that catered, too. A two for one!

We love your dress! Tell us more…

Did I mention I was a bride on a budget? And the eternal pragmatist at heart. I could not justify dropping thousands on a dress I only would wear one night. But, being my ever thrifty self, I could rise to the challenge. I could find the eleganza extravaganza of my dreams on a dime.

My years of TK Maxx rack-sifting had prepared me for this one moment. Finding a serious mark down at Debenhams with all the deets and specs I had envisioned: long sleeves, ivory, a tiny tasteful touch of sparkle (thank you delicately placed sequins), body hugging in a Marilyn Monroe way, not a Kim K. way. It was actually the very first dress I bought, and tried on, in the comfort of my own home after scavenging online for deals (I love you, sometimes, internet).

To justify to myself that you could buy a £200 wedding dress and not look cheap, but in fact expensive, I tried on lots of other dresses from places as posh as the Merchant City boutiques, to the straight-off-the-rack situation at the American chain, David’s Bridal. Nothing could beat the original gown, which needed no alterations either and, boy, was the price right.

I sported an antique gold beaded purse gifted to me by my bridesmaid, earrings from my mom, and a hair comb I made myself out of little gold vines/leaves and pearl flowers. For the ethereal hippy in me, my makeup artist Nicola Farquhar kept it natural but highlighted my best assets.

And what about Tom’s outfit?

We were all about having the kilt get-up for the wedding. After trying on several tartans, the Isle of Skye one just looked the dapperest. What can I say! And despite it being an August wedding, the wool jacket and vest just completed the romantic Highland look.

All of the groomsmen, father of the bride etc. wore floral print ties from Next in a similar palette.

Your photos are incredible!

Solen’s photos are uncompromising; she has an artistic eye and captures personality so well in a photo. We had some amazing locations, which she highlighted beautifully. And I felt very lucky to have a photo of nearly every guest at the wedding!

Part of what I loved is how non-invasive she was while doing her job — you hardly knew she was there but the proof is in the pudding — over 600 photos later! Solen delivered stunning pictures to be enjoyed for generations.

Tell us more about the music…

Georgia Cecile was absolutely fantastic. She’s the real deal. And just absolutely stunning. She got together an incredible trio, too who had chops for days (including stand-up bass!). As jazz enthusiasts, it was so difficult for us to find a female jazz vocalist who didn’t sound like a Broadway baby. Georgia was the embodiment of Billie Holiday class and Amy Winehouse sass.

Our first dance was to Peggy Lee’s version of ‘Where or When’. Nailed it. I can’t think about it too much or it’ll bring on the water works.

The transition to the funkier part of the evening featured DJ Divine!, seriously a Glasgow household name circa forever (and the name matches the man). A bit of a vinyl enthusiast, I was over the moon to find someone who legit spun those records. And whose collection of Northern Soul made me drool. It was just the bee’s knees.

Honeymoon or minimoon?

Honeymoon all the way. A night in Mar Hall, four-poster bed to boot and a view to die for. Then, Rome sweet Rome. Maybe don’t go in August? Unless you want to be boiled alive, of course. But if you do, eat gelato every day. And pack shoes that are comfortable, not cute. My numero uno mistake.

Any advice?


Don’t feel like you need to break the bank to have the wedding of your dreams. It is possible to do it on a seriously tight budget, but you gotta put in the work! That means hunting for those deals, not being afraid to ask the tough questions. I think my mantra during the wedding was ‘If you don’t ask, you don’t get!’ The satisfaction is there even more when it all comes together though, and you know the finances won’t be keeping you up at night after the wedding is over.

Why Scotland?

It doesn’t really get more romantic than that! It’s my husband’s birthplace, my home away from home, and the place we met. Besides, no one knows how to throw a shindig better than the Scots.

What’s the one truly unforgettable thing about your wedding day?

Our church service was seriously unbelievable. St Aloysius is a stunning historic building in the heart of Garnethill, Glasgow, on the fittingly named Rose Street. It sits right across from the also historically significant Glasgow Film Theatre, a place we had frequented on dates (usually ending in a disagreement on a film plot line). The frescos, marble, red brick, green moss, and domes of St Aloysius make for the perfect photo op. Not to mention that at the exact moment of us actually tying the knot, that famous Glasgow rain came pouring down on the domed ceiling and, oh, it was just breathtaking!

Love that they were able to get exactly the day they wanted, here in Scotland. Thanks for sharing your story and amazing photos with us Molly & Tom! x